Lego Shadow Towers | Simple Summer Science

Summer is the perfect time to explore the world of shadows with kids. The sun is shining bright and they have tons of time on their hands to explore simple summer science experiments. It is no secret that we have a slight Lego obsession in our house. So, when we started to brainstorm some fun science ideas for this summer, it was no surprise my kids asked to make Lego Shadow Towers. The results were amazing.

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All this week, I am taking part in the annual Lego Week, that is hosted by my friend at Toddler Approved. It is super fun, because each year a bunch of us get together to share how we play, create and learn with Lego, giving you tons of ideas to try with your kids! It comes at the perfect time too, because I have some pretty big news I can’t wait to share with you!

Lego Shadow Towers | Simple Summer Science

What you need for Lego Shadow Towers:

Duplo
Sidewalk Chalk
A bright sunny day

How to Make Lego Shadow Towers

The best part about this simple summer science activity is that anyone can do it. The first step in making awesome Lego Shadow Tower designs is to build a fun tower. Any shape or size will do.

It is really fun to predict what the shadow might look like before you put the tower in the sun. You might be really surprised by how much of it changes.

Next put your tower in the sun and move it until you find the best possible shadow design.

Finally, trace your shadows with sidewalk chalk. We actually had a great image of my son’s tower when he laid it down on the sidewalk and propped it up, but I recently had a fiasco with my camera memory card that I’d rather not go into right now (let’s just say it involved 3000 images and 100 videos).

Remember, any design works.

It is really fun to make adjustments (tiny changes are best) and then redraw the shadow to see if you can tell a difference. For Bones’ Lego creation, he simply added one piece to the bottom each time to make the tower tilt more each time. It changed the shadow quite a bit with just a little adjustment.

When we was done, he said he had created a castle. I think it is a fabulous castle as well! What would your kids create with Lego Shadow Towers?

Now, for the exciting announcement. Well, I am so excited to announce that my new book, The Unofficial Guide to Learning with LEGO® – 100+ Inspiring Ideas, is almost ready! In fact, it went off to the printer just yesterday! This is a book I have co-authored with several of my other friends who love and adore Lego Learning Ideas. The book is full of inspiring Lego learning ideas that are perfect for any age child! We have even started a new Facebook group devoted to learning with Lego and we would love to have you join us!

If you want to be the first to know when the book is available and you want some of the fun bonus offers just for you, be sure to fill out this survey form and be on the lookout for a Bonus printable very soon!

As I mentioned before, this is part of a week long celebration of all things LEGO over at Toddler Approved. She and a group of us bloggers will be sharing LEGO ideas on our blogs and Facebook Pages all week long!

I will be sharing, pinning and collecting all the great posts from the week. You can follow along by following my LEGO LEARNING board on Pinterest.

Do you have a favorite LEGO activity? What are your favorite simple summer fun ideas? I would love to hear! Connect with me on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, Instagram or subscribe by email. I can’t wait to hear your ideas.